Can cities learn to perceive cultural diversity not as a
threat but as an opportunity? How can they make diversity work
to their advantage? Can the city become the focus of collective
identity bridging ethnic and religious identities? In the context
of the Intercultural Cities programme several pilot cities will
review their policies through the "intercultural lens" and develop
intercultural strategies in order to meet the challenges of
a world in motion.

In December 2013 Limerick City Council unanimously endorsed the city’s new Integration Plan, Integrating Limerick 2013-2016: Towards Intercultural Limerick.

Limerick Manager, Conn Murray, spoke of the importance of ensuring that the migrant voice and underlined Limerick City and County Council’s commitment to the Integration Working Group and the implementation of this Plan during the next three years. Each of the key themes of the Integration Plan is linked with one of the EU Common Basic Principles on Integration and to the Intercultural Cities policy principles.
Mr Murray described the importance of intercultural integration for the development of the city:
"By fully implementing the actions set out in this Integration Plan we will be helping to promote a vibrant, inclusive, dynamic and multicultural society in Limerick." (more...)

Have you ever heard expressions like
"Immigrants receive more financial aid to open their businesses, and they don’t pay taxes…";
"Immigrants are overcrowding our health services…" or
"Immigrants don’t want to integrate or learn our language…"? Such ideas, generally unsupported by facts and data, target specific groups as ‘problematic’ and it generate mistrust and social conflict.
C4i – Communication for Integration project aims to fight against misconceptions and prejudices, rumours and stereotypes by using viral information techniques to provide evidence-based answers to common misconceptions. Active participation from citizens as "anti-rumor agents" is a key feature of C4i.
(more...)

Launched
in January 2014, the project DELI focuses on two
important issues for the European society and
economy: migrants and entrepreneurship. While it is
recognised that the entrepreneurship is essential to
economic growth and innovation, the impact of
migrants on European economy remains the issue
subject to many misconceptions and doubts.
Nevertheless, migrants and people from ethnic
minorities represent an important pool of
entrepreneurs in Europe. At present there are
roughly 24 million non-nationals living in the
countries of the European Union, many of them from
ethnic minority populations. Their businesses -
mainly small and micro enterprises - play an
important role in the European society and in
particular in urban areas.
(more...)

Bergen joins Intercultural Cities

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a strong sense of its own distinct identity as a historic hub of international travel and trade. Because of its deep-rooted history in marine exploration and trade Bergen has always played host to foreign visitors and many of these have chosen to stay.
As Bergen has become a focus of the offshore oil and gas industries in the 1970s it has naturally seen a large settlement of relatively highly-skilled and prosperous expatriates. In more recent years, there has been a marked growth in refugees and asylum seekers, reflecting the city’s expressed intention of being seen as a place of welcome and sanctuary.
(more...)

Donostia/San Sebastian engaged deeply with diversity

I
would like to preface these words by referring to a
basque expression: azala eta mamia (literally, “skin
and flesh”). In the language of us, it means from
the surface and from deep downinside, by looking at
the surface and at what is below it at the same
time. Donostia/San Sebastian City Council has
recently set up a department for diversity, and
right from the start we were in no doubt that we had
to create this department from our roots, fromour
basqueness. (more...)

Mixed urban spaces to reduce prejudice

A recently published study has found that prejudice is a function not only of whom you interact with, but also were you live. Previous papers have prioritised the interpersonal nature of contact and thus ignored its potential widespread impact.
(more...)

ICC: Facebook and Twitter

The
ICC programme is proud to note that its Facebook
"friends" have increased to 721 and its Twitter followers have
increased to 845. They are kept informed regularly on
ICC progress. Please remember to check out the
Facebook page and
Twitter.